Breaking News... Ministry of National Defense announces tragic news: 20 soldiers martyred in plane crash
A C-130 military cargo plane traveling from Azerbaijan to Turkey has crashed in Georgia. The Ministry of National Defense, which reported that the wreckage of the plane was reached at 06:30 this morning, announced that the 20 soldiers on board were martyred.
İHA
The Ministry of National Defense had announced that the wreckage of the C-130 military cargo plane, which crashed on the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, was reached at 06:30.
In the statement made by the Ministry of National Defense, it was stated, "Search and rescue and accident investigation teams began their examinations at the wreckage of our military cargo plane that crashed on the Azerbaijan-Georgia border at 06:30, in coordination with Georgian authorities."
In the latest statement, it was reported that the 20 soldiers on the plane were martyred.
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) November 12, 2025
NAMES OF THE MARTYRS RELEASED
The identities of the 20 soldiers on the crashed plane have been announced.
Air Pilot Major Serdar Uslu
Air Pilot Major Nihat İlgen
Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Korkmaz
Air Aircraft Maintenance First Lieutenant Emre Mercan
Air Pilot First Lieutenant Cüneyt Kandemir
Air Aircraft Maintenance Staff Sergeant Berkay Karaca
Air Maintenance Staff Sergeant Emre Altıok
Air Aircraft Maintenance Staff Sergeant İlhan Ongan
Air Staff Sergeant Burak İbbiği
Air Aircraft Maintenance Senior Master Sergeant Nuri Özcan
Air Aircraft Maintenance Master Sergeant Hamdi Armağan Kaplan
Air Aircraft Maintenance Master Sergeant Emrah Kuran
Air Aircraft Maintenance Master Sergeant İlker Aykut
Air Supply Senior Sergeant Ahmet Yasir Kuyucu
Air Transport Specialist Sergeant Emre Sayın
Air Senior Master Sergeant Ümit İnce
Air Master Sergeant Ramazan Yağız
Air Specialist Sergeant Cem Dolapçı
Air Master Sergeant Akın Karakuş
Air Master Sergeant Burak Özcan
WHAT HAPPENED?
The C-130 cargo plane belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces, which took off from the city of Ganja in Azerbaijan to return to Turkey, crashed after losing contact in the skies over Georgia. The Ministry of National Defense had announced that 20 military personnel were on board the plane during the accident.
While the cause of the accident has not yet been clarified, it was reported that the tragic news has begun to be delivered to the families of the martyrs.
MINISTER YERLİKAYA: WRECKAGE REACHED AT 17:00
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya had announced in his meeting with Georgian Minister of Interior Gela Geladze that the wreckage of the plane was reached at 17:00.
The Georgian Ministry of Interior also announced in a statement that search and rescue teams were working in coordination with Turkey and that security measures at the scene had been increased.
Local sources reported that pieces of the wreckage were scattered on the steep slopes near the Xolagiri Monastery and that local residents were the first to notice the wreckage.
DISAPPEARED 27 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF
Following the incident, the plane's route was also revealed. The TAF cargo plane took off from Trabzon at 09:50 in the morning and landed in Ganja, Azerbaijan, at 11:06. After staying there for a short time, the plane, which took off at 13:20 to return to Turkey, disappeared from radar 27 minutes after takeoff.